This game sounds amazing!
For those who’ve played, I’m curious whether there are any moments that might take players of color out of the game? For example: I played a different Heart’s Choice game that was beautifully written & with great LIs, but one of the LIs was described as BIPOC, which caught the MC off guard. There were a few lines of internal thinking where MC remarked on the differences between him and them, and it was odd, because up until that moment, I’d headcanoned my character as black, and therefore with dark skin that would’ve matched the LI’s. I’ll be honest, it broke my immersion; it’s not like the MC was disparaging about the LI (thank goodness), but it was a small, yet othering reminder that the author might not have realized a black or brown-skinned player, with a BIPOC MC, might have an entirely different reaction to meeting another BIPOC LI in-world.
Anyway, I really want to play this game, but given the setting, want to steer clear if there are similar moments. I’d appreciate insights from other players who’ve finished it.
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I’ve only played the whole game once (the demo twice) but I haven’t encountered anything like that.
The vampire is an newcomer to Cornwall and the UK, and you can choose an area of origin. There are some points where you can discuss being a newcomer/outsider with other characters where they or their families aren’t white or English.
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This is so helpful! Thank you.
Congrats, only tried the demo. But it was really well written, cant wait to give this a read. Also, noticed it didnt have a “spicy rating” in the hosted game list.
Anyone have an idea to what it would be?
It’s two peppers in the app.
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Finished the story today, I loved all the details of the Abbey! I really did feel like a noble in the English countryside with that and the path I chose, which was to get in with High Society. My RO, Florescu was also so sweet 
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Finished playing it. Once again, a fantastic effort! (Although a little on the short side).
As most of my other playthroughs, I always play as a martial pacifist a la X. Having good ties with everybody, I pretty much won the respect of every faction- both human and vampire alike. The various routes you can achieve as a vampire are interesting- being a martial pacifist means being generous, abhorring violence but fighting for what’s right.
There was a very well-done balance between character interaction and romance scenes and action (mostly dispute) scenes- particularly, given its length, the pacing. We have various characters on every axis, all of them with something to crave for. As a result, I pretty much played the field before settling for… Sylvain. How fitting, since my motto is “Why must humans and vampires fight one another?”. The setting is really one that leaves you wanting for more. Come on, who doesn’t want to explore the abbey and its mysterious secrets?
Stat checks were nice and obvious too. Like Their Majesties’ Pleasure, there is a sliding romance description. For a martial pacifist, that is. Unlike Vampire’s Kiss, there are no “good side” vampires, but that’s fine. Still, this one’s certainly worth trying out.
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I’ve just finished my first playthrough. Here’s my thoughts so far:
Positive -
I’m a ‘sucker’ for good stories involving vampires and/or werewolves. Besides being a game with the MC being a vampire, there’s the local vampire coven, and the opportunity to create at least one vampire (I’m hoping there’s the change to create others, if I pick another path). Being British, I like Cornwall - and the historical setting in coastal Cornwall is a plus, here. The characters are okay (a bit more depth needed to them). I romanced Jowanet - and it was interesting to see that she was not actually a villain, compared to a certain vampiric femme fatale in ‘Vampire’s Kiss’. She did really care for her kin and their safety.
Negative -
I felt that the love scenes (with Jowanet) needed more detail. And, thanks to my character being silver-tongued, I managed to achieve the ‘Vampire utopia’ ending - with villagers and local aristocracy agreeing to live in mutual peace with the new rulers. Granted, this is a fictional vampire story, but I felt this ending was too far-fetched. Nobody dies at the end, protesting “I will not become a blood-cow!”? The villagers and the landowners will really accept this new form of control, even from former villagers, in order to stay alive? I can’t see that lasting long, unless the coven proved themselves to be noble guardians of the mortals.
Overall, though, it’s an engaging game. And I’ll will be playing again - if only to explore the other three possible romances, and tick off as many Achievements as possible. Thanks to the author for writing and sharing her work with us!
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I think this ending may have been a result of you being very successful earlier in the game and/or having very good stats and using them well; in my playthrough a lot of people died trying to resist Jowanet’s coven.
Thanks for that, HarrisPS. Good to know! I was surprised to get three Achievements at the same time (winning over the aristocracy, villagers, and the coven)! I did it, not by design, but by being a careful, charming vampire.
Even so, I was expecting someone to surely die at the climax. Even Sylvain stayed in the village at the end.
I’ve now played this game three times. A good game, though I would like to be more opportunities to create vampires, other than what I suspect there to be the only possible candidate. This time I spotted the reference to the real-life village of St. Gennys, which makes it clear to me that ‘Boscawen’ is based on the Cornish Atlantic coast village of Boscastle, which I have been to. Good coastline. Didn’t have time to explore the Witchcraft museum, though.
Does anyone have any tips on how to get the Heartthrob achievement? Last playthrough, my MC was chummy with all four possible suitors - but was romantic with Florescu.
